Computer Networks
Computer networks link computers by communication lines and software protocols,
allowing data to be exchanged rapidly and reliably. Traditionally, networks have been split
between wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs). A WAN is a network
connected over long-distance telephone lines, and a LAN is a localized network usually in
one building close together. The distinction, however, is becoming blurred. It is now possible
connect up LANs remotely over telephone links so that they look as though they are a single
LAN.
Originally, networks were used to provide terminal access to another computer and to
transfer files between computers. Today, networks carry e-mail, provide access to public
databases and bulletin boards, and are beginning to be used for distributed systems. Networks
also allow users in one locality to share expensive resources, such as printers and disk-systems.
Distributed computer systems are built using networked computers that co-operate to
perform tasks. In this environment each part of the networked system does what it is best at.
The high-quality bit-mapped graphics screen of a personal computer or workstation provides
a good user interface. The mainframe, on the other hand, can handle large numbers of queries
and return the results to the users.
In a distributed environment, a user might use his PC to make a query against a central
database. The PC passes the query, written in a special language (e.g. Structured Query
Language – SQL), to the mainframe, which then parses the query, returning to the user’s PC only
the specific information requested, network traffic is reduced. If the whole file was transmitted,
the PC would then have to perform the query itself, reducing the efficiency of both network
and PC.
In the 1980s, at least 100,000 LANs were set up in laboratories and offices around the
world. During the early part of this decade, synchronous orbit satellites lowered the price of
long-distance telephone calls, enabling computer data and television signals to be distributed
more cheaply around the world. Since then, fibre-optic cable has been installed on a large scale,
enabling vast amounts of data to be transmitted at a very high speed using light signals.
The impact of fibre optics will be considerably to reduce the price of network access.
Global communication and computer networks will become more and more a part of
professional and personal lives as the price of microcomputers and network access drops. At the2
same time, distributed computer networks should improve our work environments and technical abilities